The Black Female in Hip Hop

When reading essay 28, it made me think of the many essays I had read on the stereotypical Black woman, the video vixens, or how bad Hip Hop music is. I didn’t think that it would be something that would bring up a new and valid point that I hadn’t already heard or read about before. But to my surprise, Byrd’s essay was from a different perspective and brought up different reasoning behind such things.

Byrd speaks on how she would get upset and angry with rappers and their exploitation and degrading of women. The littlest things made her angry, until one day she realized it wasn’t her they were talking about. She didn’t take it personal, and learned to have “apathy.” People have to understand that Hip-Hop music is not always about negative or sexist comments that degrade women. It is the rapper who is catering to his audience that supports him. Hip Hop music is constantly progressing in ways that cater to its audience. It is the people who support these rappers and influence them into thinking the music they are making is correct and okay. It is not as if there purposefully saying their sexist and look at women as only objects. It is about business and sex sells, and it always has. The same way advertisements objectify women to sell a product.

Further, Byrd goes on to say a lot of women “aren’t sure” if they don’t want to be talked about in such ways. It is because the media portrays these type of women as the best independent Black women living lavish lives that every girl dreams of. They make it seems like this is the only way to get to the money and live on top. There is a low representation in the media of independent Black successful woman who have careers and are making it in life, without taking their clothes off, date an athlete, or make some kind of video. And unfortunately many young girls transitioning into women have that mentality. They aren’t informed or empowered enough to do better. It is a problem amongst the Black and Hip Hop culture, something that always has been.